1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a radiation detecting cassette, which accommodates a radiation detector.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Techniques for performing radiation image recording and read-out operations by utilizing radiation detecting cassettes, which accommodate radiation detectors, have heretofore been used in practice. With the techniques, radiation is irradiated to an object, such as a living body, and the radiation carrying image information of the object is detected with the radiation detector accommodated in the radiation detecting cassette.
The radiation detecting cassettes are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7(1995)-140255 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,309. With the disclosed radiation detecting cassettes, the radiation carrying image information of the object is converted by a scintillator into visible light having an intensity in accordance with the intensity of the radiation. The visible light is photoelectrically converted into an image signal by solid-state detecting devices, which constitute the radiation detector and are arrayed in a two-dimensional form. The thus obtained image signal is stored in an image memory. Thereafter, the image signal is fed from the image memory into a signal processing unit, which is located at the exterior of the radiation detecting cassette. The image signal having been obtained from the signal processing unit is utilized for reproducing the radiation image of the object as a visible image.
As an example of a radiation detector having no scintillator and directly detecting radiation, a solid-state radiation detector utilizing a semiconductor, such as CdTe, has been proposed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1(1989)-216290. As another example of a radiation detector having no scintillator, a solid-state radiation detector comprising two or more layers overlaid via a metal plate with respect to the direction along which radiation is transmitted has been proposed in, for example, xe2x80x9cMetal/Amorphous Silicon Multilayer Radiation Detectors,xe2x80x9d IEE TRANSACTIONS ON NUCLEAR SCIENCE, Vol. 36, No. 2, April 1989. In the direct conversion types of solid-state radiation detectors, a capacitor is connected to each of charge collecting electrodes, and electric charges having been collected by each charge collecting electrode are accumulated at the corresponding capacitor as latent image charges carrying image information.
Operations for recording radiation images of patients (objects) are controlled from a console of an image recording apparatus, which is located at a predetermined site in an image recording room. When a radiation image of a patient is to be recorded, an image recording card, on which instructions of a medical doctor have been written, is carried by the patient to the console, or the instructions of the medical doctor are transferred through a network to the console. A radiation engineer at the console investigates the instructions written on the image recording card or the instructions displayed on the console and thereby obtains information necessary for the image recording operation, such as identification (ID) information, information concerning an image recording method to be used, and information concerning a portion of the object, the image of which is to be recorded. In accordance with the obtained information, the radiation engineer sets image recording conditions from the console, locates a radiation detecting cassette at the position for the recording of the image of the portion of the object, and performs the image recording operation. With respect to the same patient, a plurality of images are often recorded successively with different image recording methods and/or for different portions of the object. In such cases, each time one image is recorded, the radiation engineer makes reference to the instructions of the medical doctor, sets the image recording conditions to be used, and locates the radiation detecting cassette at a predetermined position.
As described above, heretofore, it has been necessary that, after confirming the portion of the object, the image of which is to be recorded, and the like, at the console, or the like, the radiation engineer goes to the image recording site and locates the radiation detecting cassette at a predetermined position. Particularly, in cases where a plurality of images are to be recorded successively with different image recording methods and/or for different portions of the object, each time one image is recorded, the radiation engineer must confirm the portion of the object, the image of which is to be recorded, the order in which the images are to be recorded, and the like, at the console, or the like, and must locate the radiation detecting cassette at a predetermined position at the image recording site. Therefore, considerable time and labor are required to perform the image recording operations. Also, the image recording conditions vary for different portions of the object, the images of which are recorded, and therefore preparations in accordance with the image recording conditions must be made. For example, it is often necessary that a grid is replaced by a grid of a pitch appropriate for the portion of the object, the image of which is to be recorded.
Further, in order to confirm whether the patient being present at the image recording site is or is not the patient, whose image is to be recorded, it has heretofore been necessary for the radiation engineer to investigate the information on the image recording card or the console and to inquire of the patient being present at the image recording site. Considerable time and labor are required to make such confirmation.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a radiation detecting cassette, which enables an image recording menu, such as image recording conditions to be used, an image recording method to be used, and a portion of an object, the image of which is to be recorded, to be found at an image recording site in cases where a radiation image of a patient is to be recorded.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a radiation detecting cassette, which enables identification (ID) information, such as the name of a patient, to be found at an image recording site.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a radiation detecting cassette, wherein an image processing method and parameters are capable of being set from the cassette side, or a transfer destination of an image signal, the order, in which image signals are to be transferred, and the like, are capable of being specified from the cassette side.
The present invention provides a first radiation detecting cassette, comprising:
i) a radiation detector provided with a plurality of solid-state detecting devices, which are arrayed in a two-dimensional form and which detect radiation carrying image information of an object and convert the radiation into an image signal representing a radiation image of the object, and
ii) a flat-shaped case housing for accommodating the radiation detector,
wherein the improvement comprises the provision of:
receiving means for receiving necessary information from the exterior (i.e., a console) in cases where an image recording operation is to be performed, and
displaying means for displaying the information having been received by the receiving means.
In the first radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention, with the displaying means, an image recording menu, which is to be used, or the like, is displayed on the radiation detecting cassette when the image recording operation is to be performed.
Also, in the first radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention, the displaying means may be located on a surface of the case housing, which surface is on the side opposite to the surface exposed to radiation.
The receiving means may be provided with a terminal, a circuit, a connector, an antenna, and the like, for receiving a signal sent from the exterior through cable communication or radio communication.
The present invention also provides a second radiation detecting cassette, comprising:
i) a solid-state radiation detector for detecting radiation, which carries image information, and feeding out an image signal representing a radiation image, and
ii) a case housing for accommodating the solid-state radiation detector,
wherein the improvement comprises the provision of an operation panel for setting details of processing of the image signal.
The second radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention should preferably further comprise image processing means for performing the processing of the image signal. The second radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention should more preferably further comprise displaying means for displaying an image represented by a processed image signal, which has been obtained from the processing performed on the image signal and in accordance with details of operations performed from the operation panel.
The term xe2x80x9cprocessing of an image signalxe2x80x9d as used herein means the image processing. The image processing may be one of various kinds of processings, which are performed on the image signal fed out from the solid-state radiation detector. For example, the image processing may be pixel density transformation processing, predetermined normalization processing (i.e., exposure data recognizer (EDR) processing), image size enlargement or reduction processing, dynamic range compression processing, image signal compression processing, image feed processing for image confirmation, or the like. In order for the image processing to be performed, ordinarily, it is necessary that the analog image signal having been fed out from the radiation detector is converted into a digital image signal. For such purposes, ordinarily, an analog-to-digital converter is utilized.
The term xe2x80x9cdetails of processing of an image signalxe2x80x9d as used herein means the kind of the image processing, the technique for the image processing, parameters for the image processing, and the like.
The present invention further provides a third radiation detecting cassette, comprising:
i) a solid-state radiation detector for detecting radiation, which carries image information, and feeding out an image signal representing a radiation image, and
ii) a case housing for accommodating the solid-state radiation detector,
wherein the improvement comprises the provision of an operation panel for setting details of processing concerning transfer of the image signal.
The term xe2x80x9cdetails of processing concerning transfer of an image signalxe2x80x9d as used herein means, for example, the order, in which the image signals are to be transferred, (including alteration of the order, in which the image signals are to be transferred) and the transfer destination. The alteration of the order, in which the image signals are to be transferred, may be performed with one of various methods. For example, the order, in which the image signals are to be transferred, may be altered by rearranging addresses of the image signals, which have been stored in a memory, such that the order, in which the image signals are read from the memory, may be altered, and transferring the image signals in the order, in which they are read from the memory. Alternatively, the order, in which the image signals are to be transferred, may be altered after the image signals have been read from the memory.
The third radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention should preferably further comprise transfer means for transferring the image signal to a transfer destination, which has been set from the operation panel. The transfer means may be one of various kinds of means, which can transfer the image signal to the transfer destination having been set. Also, the transfer means may be of the cable communication type or the radio communication type.
The present invention still further provides a fourth radiation detecting cassette, comprising:
i) a solid-state radiation detector for detecting radiation, which carries image information, and feeding out an image signal representing a radiation image, and
ii) a case housing for accommodating the solid-state radiation detector,
wherein the improvement comprises the provision of an operation panel for setting details of processing of subsidiary information giving specifics about the image signal.
The fourth radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention should preferably further comprise processing means for performing processing of the subsidiary information giving specifics about the image signal.
The term xe2x80x9csubsidiary information giving specifics about an image signalxe2x80x9d as used herein means the information concerning the object image, which is represented by the image signal, and the information representing an opinion given by the radiation engineer, who makes a diagnosis in accordance with the image signal. Examples of the information concerning the object image, which is represented by the image signal, include the name of the patient, the sex of the patient, the portion of the object, the image of which is recorded, the image recording method used, and the image processing conditions (such as the technique for the image processing, and parameters for the image processing).
The term xe2x80x9cdetails of processing of subsidiary information giving specifics about an image signalxe2x80x9d as used herein means one of various kinds of processings concerning the subsidiary information. For example, the details of processing of subsidiary information giving specifics about the image signal may include the processing for setting the image processing parameters, which have been set in accordance with the image recording method used and the image processing conditions, as the subsidiary information appended to the image signal, the processing for forming a signal representing the opinion concerning the image represented by the image signal, or the like, and setting the signal as the subsidiary information appended to the image signal, the kind of the processing, and the technique for the processing.
The present invention also provides a fifth radiation detecting cassette, comprising:
i) a solid-state radiation detector for detecting radiation, which carries image information, and feeding out an image signal representing a radiation image, and
ii) a case housing for accommodating the solid-state radiation detector,
wherein the improvement comprises the provision of an operation panel for setting details of processing concerning transfer of subsidiary information giving specifics about the image signal.
The fifth radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention should preferably further comprise transfer means for transferring the subsidiary information giving specifics about the image signal to a transfer destination, which has been set from the operation panel. The transfer means may be one of various kinds of means, which can transfer the subsidiary information to the transfer destination having been set. Also, the transfer means may be of the cable communication type or the radio communication type.
Each of the second, third, fourth, and fifth radiation detecting cassettes in accordance with the present invention should preferably further comprise displaying means for displaying details of operations performed from the operation panel.
The displaying means for displaying details of operations performed from the operation panel should preferably be located on a surface of the case housing, which surface is on the side opposite to a detection surface of the case housing, and should more preferably be located on an outer surface of the case housing. Also, the displaying means, which is provided in the aforesaid second radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention and which displays the image represented by the processed image signal having been obtained from the processing performed on the image signal and in accordance with details of operations performed from the operation panel, should preferably be located on a surface of the case housing, which surface is on the side opposite to a detection surface of the case housing, and should more preferably be located on an outer surface of the case housing. As the displaying means, flat plate-like displaying means, such as a liquid crystal panel, an electroluminescent (EL) panel, or a plasma display panel (PDP), should preferably be employed.
Further, in each of the second, third, fourth, and fifth radiation detecting cassettes in accordance with the present invention, the operation panel should preferably be located on a surface of the case housing, which surface is on the side opposite to a detection surface of the case housing, and should more preferably be located on an outer surface of the case housing.
The term xe2x80x9cdetails of operationsxe2x80x9d as used herein means the details of operations with keys, and the like, on the operation panel. For example, the details of operations include the states and procedures of operations for the setting of details of processing of the image signal or details of processing of subsidiary information giving specifics about the image signal, and the states and procedures of operations for the setting of details of processing concerning transfer of the image signal or details of processing concerning transfer of subsidiary information giving specifics about the image signal. The procedures of operations may represent the details of the setting which is to be performed (i.e., the details of the setting to be employed as a candidate). Alternatively, the procedures of operations may represent the details of the setting which has already been performed.
The displaying of the details of operations may be performed with one of various displaying techniques. For example, several kinds of image recording menus to be employed as candidates may be displayed. Alternatively, the processing method, the parameters, the order in which the image signals are to be transferred, and the transfer destination corresponding to a menu, which has been selected from the displayed image recording menus, may be displayed automatically. As another alternative, the processing method, parameters, and the like, which should be employed as the candidate, may be displayed. As a further alternative, the processing method, parameters, and the like, may be inputted with the keys, and the details of the inputting operations may be displayed.
The term xe2x80x9cdetection surface of a case housingxe2x80x9d as used herein means the surface, which is on the side exposed to the recording radiation carrying the image information and which is on the side facing the detection surface of the solid-state radiation detector accommodated in the case housing. Also, as described above, the operation panel should more preferably be located on an outer surface of the case housing. Specifically, it is sufficient for the operation panel to be located such that an operating section of the operation panel may be located at the outer surface of the case housing so as to be capable of being operated without the case housing being opened. The entire operation panel need not necessarily be located on the outer surface of the case housing.
The operation panel may be one of various types of operation panels, with which the details of various kinds of processings described above can be set. The operation panel is not limited to the flat plate-like panel. Also, the operation panel may be of the cursor movement type, the key input type, or the like.
The solid-state radiation detector is the detector, which detects radiation carrying image information of the object and feeds out the image signal representing a radiation image of the object. The solid-state radiation detector converts the incident radiation into electric charges directly or after converting the radiation into light, accumulates the electric charges at charge accumulating sections, and thereafter feeds out the electric charges to the exterior. In this manner, the image signal representing the radiation image of the object can be obtained.
The solid-state radiation detector may be one of various types. For example, from the aspect of a charge forming process for converting the radiation into electric charges, the solid-state radiation detectors may be classified into photo conversion types of solid-state radiation detectors and direct conversion types of solid-state radiation detectors.
With the photo conversion types of solid-state radiation detectors, the fluorescence, which is produced by a fluorescent material when it is exposed to radiation carrying image information, is detected by photoelectric conversion devices, and the thus obtained electric charges are accumulated at charge accumulating sections of the photoelectric conversion devices. The accumulated electric charges are then converted into an image signal (i.e., an electric signal), and the image signal is fed out. The photo conversion types of solid-state radiation detectors are described in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 59(1984)-211263 and 2(1990)-164067, PCT International Publication No. WO92/06501, and SPIE Vol. 1443, Medical Imaging V; Image Physics (1991), pp. 108-119.
With the direct conversion types of solid-state radiation detectors, electric charges, which are generated in a radio-conductive material when it is exposed to radiation carrying image information, are collected by charge collecting electrodes and accumulated at charge accumulating sections. The accumulated charges are then converted into an electric signal, and the electric signal is fed out. The direct conversion types of solid-state radiation detectors are described in, for example, xe2x80x9cMaterial Parameters in Thick Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Radiation Detectors,xe2x80x9d Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, Calif. 94720 Xerox Parc. Palo Alto. Calif. 94304; xe2x80x9cMetal/Amorphous Silicon Multilayer Radiation Detectors, IEE TRANSACTIONS ON NUCLEAR SCIENCE, Vol. 36, No. 2, April 1989; and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1(1989)-216290.
Also, from the aspect of a charge reading process for reading the accumulated electric charges to the exterior, the solid-state radiation detectors may be classified into, for example, thin-film transistor (TFT) reading types of solid-state radiation detectors, wherein TFT""s, each of which is connected to one of the charge accumulating sections, are operated successively in order to read the accumulated electric charges, photo reading types of solid-state radiation detectors, wherein the accumulated electric charges are read by irradiating reading light (an electromagnetic wave for the reading) to the solid-state radiation detectors, and improved direct conversion types of solid-state radiation detectors, which utilize a combination of the direct conversion types of techniques and the photo reading types of techniques. The improved direct conversion types of solid-state radiation detectors have been proposed by the applicant in Japanese Patent Application Nos. 10(1998)-232824 and 10(1998)-271374. The radiation detecting cassettes in accordance with the present invention may comprise one of various types of solid-state radiation detectors and the case housing, which accommodates the solid-state radiation detector.
The first radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention comprises the receiving means for receiving necessary information from the exterior in cases where an image recording operation is to be performed, and the displaying means for displaying the information having been received by the receiving means. Therefore, with the first radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention, in cases where the image recording operation is to be performed, the information, such as an image recording menu, which is necessary for the recording of the radiation image of the object, can be found at the image recording site, and it is not necessary for the radiation engineer to return from the image recording site to the console for confirming the necessary information. Accordingly, the image recording operation can be performed efficiently and accurately. The first radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention is effective particularly in cases where the object is a child and the radiation engineer must perform the image recording operation while the radiation engineer is being in constant attendance upon the child for holding the child such that the child may not move during the image recording operation. Also, in cases where images of several different portions of the object are to be recorded, confirmation of the order, in which the images are to be recorded, and confirmation as to whether the grid should be changed over due to a difference in image recording conditions or may not be changed over can be made at the image recording site. Therefore, the operations can be performed efficiently and without a mistake being made. Further, since the patient information, such as the ID information, can be confirmed at the image recording site, the problems can be prevented from occurring in that a patient is mistaken for another in recording data. Furthermore, with the first radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention, wherein the displaying means is located on the side opposite to the side exposed to the radiation, the area of the irradiation surface can be kept wide.
With the second radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention, which is provided with the operation panel for setting details of processing of the image signal, and the fourth radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention, which is provided with the operation panel for setting details of processing of subsidiary information giving specifics about the image signal, the details of processing can be set on the cassette side, and it is not necessary for the operator to return to a display device for the setting of the details of processing. Therefore, the operability can be kept high, and the image recording operation can be performed efficiently.
With the second radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention, which is provided with the image processing means for performing processing of the image signal, and the fourth radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention, which is provided with the processing means for performing processing of the subsidiary information giving specifics about the image signal, even if a display device for an image recording system, such as a work station, is not provided, the image processing, or the like, can be performed with the radiation detecting cassette itself, and the image signal obtained from the processing can be fed into an output device, or the like, which is connected to the radiation detecting cassette. The effects are convenient.
With the second radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention, further comprising the displaying means for displaying an image represented by a processed image signal, which has been obtained from the processing performed on the image signal and in accordance with details of operations performed from the operation panel, operations can be performed while the processed image is being seen, and therefore the work efficiency can be kept high.
With the third radiation detecting cassette, which is provided with the operation panel for setting details of processing concerning transfer of the image signal, and the fifth radiation detecting cassette, which is provided with the operation panel for setting details of processing concerning transfer of subsidiary information giving specifics about the image signal, the specifying of the transfer destination of the image signal and the alteration of the order, in which the image signals are to be transferred, can be performed on the cassette side, and it is not necessary for the operator to return to a display device for performing such operations. Therefore,the operability can be kept high, and the image recording operation can be performed efficiently.
With the third radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention, which further comprises the transfer means for transferring the image signal to a transfer destination having been set from the operation panel, and with the fifth radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention, which further comprises the transfer means for transferring the subsidiary information giving specifics about the image signal to a transfer destination having been set from the operation panel, the image signal or the subsidiary information can be transferred directly from the cassette side to the transfer destination having been set. The effects are convenient.
Also, with the second radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention, which further comprises the image processing means, with the fourth radiation detecting cassette in accordance with the present invention, which further comprises the processing means for performing processing of the subsidiary information giving specifics about the image signal, and with the third and fifth radiation detecting cassettes in accordance with the present invention, which further comprise the transfer means, it is not necessary to utilize a display device, and the same operations as those with the conventional display device can be performed with the radiation detecting cassette itself. Therefore, the operability can be kept markedly high, and the radiation detecting cassette is easy to use.
The conventional radiation detecting cassette requires control with a display device even after the image recording operation, and therefore limitation has been imposed upon portability of the radiation detecting cassette. However, with the radiation detecting cassettes in accordance with the present invention, wherein the same operations as those with the conventional display device can be performed with the radiation detecting cassettes themselves, the radiation detecting cassettes are easy to carry and has a high degree of freedom. Therefore, an image can be outputted at every desired place when necessary. Thus the radiation detecting cassettes in accordance with the present invention have a high portability and are convenient.
Further, with the second, third, fourth, and fifth radiation detecting cassettes in accordance with the present invention, which further comprise the displaying means for displaying details of operations performed from the operation panel, operations can be performed while the details of setting are being confirmed. Therefore, the work efficiency can be kept high.
As described above, the displaying means, which displays the image represented by the processed image signal having been obtained from the processing performed on the image signal and in accordance with the details of operations performed from the operation panel, and the displaying means, which displays the details of operations performed from the operation panel, should preferably be located on the surface of the case housing, which surface is on the side opposite to the detection surface of the case housing. In such cases, confirmation of the details of the setting and confirmation of the recorded image can be performed while the radiation, detecting cassette is being located in the vicinity of the object. Therefore, the work efficiency can be enhanced even further. Also, the displaying means does not obstruct the detection of radiation. Further, in cases where the displaying means is located on the outer surface of the case housing, confirmation of the details of the setting and confirmation of the recorded image can be performed without the case housing being opened. Also, the solid-state radiation detector can be accommodated completely in the case housing, and the problems with regard to dust, or the like, can be prevented from occurring.
Furthermore, with the second, third, fourth, and fifth radiation detecting cassettes in accordance with the present invention, wherein the operation panel is located on the surface of the case housing, which surface is on the side opposite to the detection surface of the case housing, various operations with the operation panel can be performed while the radiation detecting cassette is being located in the vicinity of the object. Therefore, the work efficiency can be enhanced even further. Also, the operation panel does not obstruct the detection of radiation. Further, in cases where the operation panel is located on the outer surface of the case housing, the operations with the operation panel can be performed without the case housing being opened. Also, the solid-state radiation detector can be accommodated completely in the case housing, and the problems with regard to dust, or the like, can be prevented from occurring.